On May 11, 1943, American troops of the US Army 7th Infantry Division conduct an amphibious landing on the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, beginning the Battle of Attu. The goal of the operation was to force the Japanese 301st Independent Infantry Battalion, which had been occupying the island since June of 1942, from the island. The American forces, supported by elements of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), fought against the entrenched Japanese forces for over two weeks, gradually pushed the Japanese into a small pocket around Chichagof Harbor on the northeast side of the island. On May 29-30, the battle for control of Attu ended as the last remaining Japanese troops launched a desperate banzai charge against the Americans. While the charge succeeded in breaking through the American lines, the Japanese forces were quickly defeated and the battle ended in American victory. Of the 15,000 American troops who participated in the battle, casualties number 549 killed, 1,148 wounded, and 1,814 who suffered cold-weather injuries and disease. Of the 2,900 Japanese troops, casualties numbered 2,351 killed and 28 captured.